As exposure of personal data becomes an issue across the globe, the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) has stated that a law on personal data protection is becoming more and more urgent.

The MPS in collaboration with the National Cybersecurity Association (NCA) organised a workshop to develop personal data protection policies in Hà Nội on Wednesday.

In his opening speech, Deputy Minister of Public Security Lương Tam Quang emphasised the context and challenges for Việt Nam in entering a new era of technological breakthroughs.

If personal data is not properly protected, it could be exploited to impact the legitimate rights and interests of organisations and individuals, said the deputy minister.

This protection needs to be institutionalised through legal documents, said Quang.

In a report titled 'Perspectives and orientations for developing the law on personal data protection', Nguyễn Minh Chính, Director of MPS’s Cyber Security and High-tech Crime Prevention Department, noted: "The right to protect personal data is recognised by many countries around the world as a right to privacy and is protected by law."

Since the 1970s, a number of countries around the world have begun to develop laws to protect personal data with different approaches and models.

These include countries near Việt Nam, such as Indonesia and Singapore, which enacted data protection laws in 2008 and 2012.

Recently, in 2018, the European Parliament also passed the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Last year India also enacted its Digital Personal Data Protection Act.

Việt Nam has one of the fastest-growing rates of internet usage and application in the world, a high-ranking information industry and rapidly-developing digital and data infrastructure.

The country also has a high rate of people using smartphones and internet services.

Personal data exposure is common as people lack awareness of protections. Meanwhile data trading takes place openly but lacks a legal basis to handle it, or businesses allow third parties to access customer data without strict regulations.

The Ministry of Public Security proactively discovered, investigated and verified 16 cases of loss and sale of information, state secrets and internal data in cyberspace last year.

Cases like these show that the development of a law on personal data protection is becoming urgent and necessary.

During the workshop, the MPS gave a number of points to help guide the law's development. These will apply to four main areas including Vietnamese agencies, organisations and individuals; foreign agencies, organisations and individuals in Việt Nam; Vietnamese agencies, organisations and individuals operating abroad; and foreign agencies, organisations and individuals directly participating in or related to personal data processing activities in Việt Nam.

The conference also had contributions for reference and improvement from domestic and foreign agencies and organisations such as the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Indian Embassy, ​​the US Department of State and the European Chamber of Commerce in Việt Nam (EuroCham) as well as representatives from companies like Google, Meta, Master Card and others. — VNS